WELLINGTON: Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell was the surprise selection in New Zealand’s 15-man squad for cricket’s one-day World Cup later this year, despite never having played the format at international level.The 28-year-old Blundell has played just two tests, making a century on debut, and three Twenty20 internationals for New Zealand, but will serve as a backup to Tom Latham for the May 30-July 14 tournament in England and Wales.”The key for us was finding the right balance for the squad and making sure we had our bases covered for what is going to be a very competitive World Cup,” coach Gary Stead said.”As a one-day unit we’ve been pretty consistent over the past few years and possess a very experienced group of core players, proven at the top level.”Blundell’s last appearance for New Zealand was in a Twenty20 international against Australia in Sydney in early 2018. He did not play a single game for Wellington in New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition this season.His surprise elevation into the squad is at the expense of Tim Seifert, who had been the preferred wicketkeeper in Twenty20 internationals this summer and made his one-day international debut in January against Sri Lanka.The aggressive Seifert, who can… Read full this story
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